meticulous

adjective me·tic·u·lous \ mə-ˈti-kyə-ləs \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: meticulous in a Sentence

Editor's Note: meticulous Has Fearful Roots

Definition of meticulous

: marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details

a meticulous researcher

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meticulosity

play \-ˌti-kyə-ˈlä-sə-tē\ noun

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meticulously

play \-ˈti-kyə-ləs-lē\ adverb

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meticulousness

play \-nəs\ noun

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Examples of meticulous in a Sentence

Always meticulous about his appearance in the past, he had become dirty and unkempt, with straggly hair, stained clothes, and patches of silver stubble on his chin. —Minette Walters, Fox Evil, 2002
She was very much the craftswoman, all her work meticulous, slow, perfect. —Simon Winchester, The Professor and the Madman, 1998
In dense, meticulous arguments … Brooten mounts an assault on that view. —Cullen Murphy, Atlantic, August 1993
He described the scene in meticulous detail.
He is meticulous about keeping accurate records.

Recent Examples of meticulous from the Web

Wolfe was meticulous about detail, giving his bronze Bird that wispy mustache and parting his hair in the middle and afflicting his right pinkie, the one Bird broke badly on a softball field at Indiana State, with its ugly hook.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Why Indy doesn't have a Reggie Miller statue," 5 July 2018
Studies are often the main source of evidence that guides doctors’ decision-making and patient care, and that’s why journals are so meticulous when that evidence is called into question.

— Washington Post, "Science Says: What happens when researchers make mistakes," 13 June 2018
Vargas transforms her desserts into tiny, delicious works of art with meticulous and, frankly, totally bonkers frosting techniques.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Local Cookie Company Lets You Eat Your Favorite Celebrities," 1 June 2018
Kavanaugh served in the White House counsel’s office and as Bush’s staff secretary, a demanding job requiring meticulous close reading of every document that crosses the President’s desk.

— brian bennett, Time, "How Brett Kavanaugh Could Change the Supreme Court—and America," 12 July 2018
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wrote meticulous packing lists for her trip to Texas in 1963.

— megan friedman, Town & Country, "Jackie Kennedy’s Never-Before-Seen Packing List Reveals Heartbreaking Details of Her Final Trip with JFK," 9 July 2018
To earn the certification, at least 80 percent of the staff must complete meticulous training on a variety of topics related to autism, including sensory awareness, motor skills, social skills, emotional awareness and more.

— fiza pirani, ajc, "Sesame Place is the world’s first certified autism-friendly theme park," 6 July 2018
The pain is gone, Gulbis said, but the preparation is more meticulous than ever.

— angel guerrero, sacbee, "Sacramento's Natalie Gulbis on LPGA comeback trail – and has a tee time with Steph Curry," 29 June 2018
Crossfit is structured and meticulous, with a heavy reliance on compound movements and an emphasis on maintaining proper form throughout.

— tres dean, GQ, "The Best Martial Arts for Getting Anderson Silva-Ripped," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meticulous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

meticulous Has Fearful Roots

It may surprise you to learn that meticulous is derived from the Latin word for "fearful" - meticulosus - and ultimately comes from the Latin noun metus, meaning "fear." Although meticulous currently has no "fearful" meanings, it was originally used as a synonym of frightened and timid. This sense had fallen into disuse by 1700, and in the 19th century meticulous acquired a new sense of "overly and timidly careful" (probably influenced by the French word méticuleux). This in turn led to the current meaning of "painstakingly careful," with no connotations of fear at all. The newest use was controversial among some usage commentators at first, but it has since become by far the most common meaning and is no longer considered an error.

Origin and Etymology of meticulous

earlier, "fearful," borrowed from Latin metīculōsus, metūculōsus "timid, apprehensive," from metū-, stem of metus "fear, dread" (of uncertain origin) + -culōsus (in perīculōsus "involving danger, perilous")

Note: The senses "overscrupulous," then "careful, scrupulous" may depend on French méticuleux, for which these meanings are attested somewhat earlier than in English.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1827

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

meticulous Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of meticulous

careful, meticulous, scrupulous, punctilious mean showing close attention to detail. careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.